Memphis Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant, the second overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft, was hyped up all game long as he watched his pal Zion Williamson make his debut for the New Orleans Pelicans.

Williamson's debut set the NBA world on fire, as the 6-foot-6 forward scored 22 points (including 17 straight), grabbed seven rebounds and dished out three assists in just 18 minutes against the San Antonio Spurs.

Sure enough, Morant had his eyes glued on the game throughout. In fact, furing and following Zion's debut, Morant took to Twitter to fire off a string of tweets about his former teammate.

Both natives of South Carolina, the two young stars played on the same AAU team for a time in high school. Williamson would end up becoming a much more highly touted recruit than Morant, but fast forward a few years and they are both young stars in the NBA.

While Zion Williamson is undoubtedly talented, the No. 1 pick has missed the first 44 games of the season for the Pelicans due to a torn meniscus. On the other hand, Ja Morant has led the Grizzlies to a possible playoff berth and has already cemented himself as a bona fide star in the NBA.

In 37 games for Memphis, Morant has put up 17.9 points, 7.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting 49 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from deep.

Barring injuries or miraculous play from other rookies, Morant's strong play has led him to be the odds on favorite to win Rookie of the Year at the end of the season.

It will be interesting to see the two match up against each other, and fans won't have to wait for long as the Pelicans play the Grizzlies next week, on Jan. 31.